heard many things of Him, and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by Him. . . .

Then Herod with his men of war set Him at nought" (Luke 23: 8-11). Matt. 21: 1-19

furnishes us with another example of the shallowness of the hearers of the word during

the ministry of the Lord. "A very great multitude spread their garments in the way. . . .

and the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son

of David; Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest."

Within a few days, in the very same city, the multitude, urged by the chief priests and

elders, cried out, "Let Him be crucified!"; "His blood be on us, and on our children"

(Matt. 27: 19-25). Hence it is that in immediate relation to the ride into Jerusalem, and

the shout of Hosannah, we read, "And when He saw a fig tree in the way, He came to it,

and found nothing thereon, but leaves only" (Matt. 21: 19). It is interesting to note that

the words "withered away" of Matt. 21: 19; 13: 6; Mark 4: 6; and Luke 8: 6 are the

same. Such, to a large extent, was the character of the heart of those who heard the

gospel of the kingdom from the lips of the Son of God. Thus, while John's ministry is

represented by the wayside hearers, the Lord's ministry is likened unto the stony ground

In immediate succession to the ministry of the Lord Jesus was the ministry of the

Twelve in the Acts. This ministry is likened to the sowing of seed among thorns. Peter

uses the key word of the gospel of the kingdom, "Repent," and the kingdom ordinance,

"Be baptized" (Acts 2: 38). The preaching of the word at Pentecost and after produced a

deeper effect than had been evidenced during the "Gospels" period. There was not so

much of that spirit which characterized the wayside hearers, for the good seed found a

place in many hearts, neither was the stony ground hearer alone represented. The trouble

is seen among those who had "tasted of the heavenly gift," and who had been "partakers

of the holy spirit," and had "tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to

come." Heb. 6: is a divine commentary upon the cause of failure during the Acts. The

figure of the "thorny ground" is actually repeated in Heb. 6: 8, "But that which beareth

thorns and briars is rejected." Luke tells us that the stony ground hearers "brought no

fruit unto perfection." We find the echo of this in Heb. 6:, "Leaving. . . . let us go unto

perfection."

The epistle to the Hebrews was addressed to Jews who had received in some measure

the seed of the kingdom, and had accepted the Lord Jesus as Messiah, but who were still

"zealous for the law" (Acts 21: 20). The Jews failed to see the perfection that was to be

found alone in Christ. "Cares, riches and pleasures of this life, the deceitfulness of riches

and the lust of other things" are referred to in Hebrews in such passages as 11: 25, 26,

"Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures

of sin for a season, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in

Egypt." "Ye took joyfully the spoiling of your goods (10: 34). "Be content with such

things as ye have, for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" (13: 5).

Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:), and Simon who believed and was baptized

(Acts 8: 13), are examples of the growth of the thorns which eventually choked the

good seed. Ananias and Sapphira particularly illustrate the "thorny ground" hearers.

They had believed the word, they had evidently been baptized and were recognized by